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Kirkwood Bubble Iris forms the Centerpiece Attraction of the Swiss Pavillion, Expo 2025

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It has been a surreal honor to have my kinetic artwork and bubble machine invention, the Kirkwood Bubble Iris, commissioned to act as the functional heart of the central artwork of the Swiss Pavillion at the Worlds Fair, representing the nation of Switzerland’s proud identity as leaders in innovation, technology, and superb engineering with rising giant bubbles made with my innovative, agile and efficient soap membrane kinetic art mechanisms.

The unique variable aperture of the Kirkwood Bubble Iris allows soap membranes to be formed in-place, with precise location, size, and time. It does not require dunking into a liquid bath to operate; instead, it shrinks it’s aperture down to zero size or “blinks” to initiate a fresh membrane as needed.

Over 5000 visitors per day for six months waited for an hour or more to enter the Swiss Pavillion at the Worlds Fair in Osaka Japan. Kirkwood Bubble Irises were arranged around a pond and visitors walked along a meandering catwalk path above the machines. Buoyant large bubbles rose up in front of viewers where the reflections of surrounding lights produced fantastically interesting patterns.

I mentioned to my clients who commissioned their first installment of these unique new bubble machines for this exhibit from me in late 2023 how I liked the symbolism of writing prayers, hopes, wishes on small pieces of paper, and sending these down a river as a small boat, or sending them into the air as smoke (sometimes both). I am pleased that this symbolism was also embraced to some degree by the design team in charge of the interactivity in the exhibit: viewers were invited to invest these giant rising bubbles with their wishes for the future.

Her Imperial Highness, Crown Princess Akishino of Japan, enjoys Kirkwood Bubbles, the centerpiece artwork of the Swiss Pavillion, Expo 2025 in Osaka Japan. The unprecedented agility of the Kirkwood Bubble Iris allowed bubbles to be formed precisely when they were called for, allowing visitors to indirectly blow bubbles by speaking a wish or prayer through the illuminated ring shown.


Hundreds of thousands – almost a million – people visited the Swiss Pavillion, averaging over 5000 visitors per day. The bubble exhibit occupied the entirety of the largest dome of the pavillion shown at the top of this post from the outside. The Expo ran from April 13 2025 to October 13 2025 in Osaka Japan, and was attended by over 25 Million people.

The Swiss Pavillion embraced themes of lightness and bubbles also in it’s larger design. The Pavillion comprised large skin-on-frame spherical rooms, with a steel subframe, and was reported to be the lightest swiss pavillion ever made. This article in DesignBoom elaborates further: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/swiss-pavilion-visitors-spheres-plants-expo-2025-osaka-manuel-herz-architects-06-23-2024/

Collaborators on this project included the Commissioner General of the Swiss Pavillion Manuel Salchli, architect Manuel Herz, Robin Winogrond, Effektschmiede, Nussli group, and Bellprat partners.

Kirkwood Bubble Iris also featured at the Denver Childrens Museum

The Kirkwood Bubble Iris edition which later went on to become the centerpiece of the swiss pavillion, has also been in daily service at the Denver Children’s Museum, a premier American children’s museum since August 2024. The exhibits manager has reported that the machine is the highlight and most reliable element of their popular Bubble Room, working without interruption every day for over a year in the most challenging conditions: a hands-on children’s museum. Now nearing a milestone of one million bubble cycles, the Kirkwood Bubble Iris at the Denver Children’s Museum has a spotless service record and has worked without issue for over a year in the most demanding of environments.

The control knobs of my Kirkwood Bubble Iris installation #1 in 2024, at the Denver Children’s Museum, which featured my same iris design as was used as the centerpiece of the swiss pavillion. These knobs have been treated roughly by countless grabby and soapy fingers for over a year now, and are still working perfectly. The iris and this controller have worked without issue or maintenance for over a year in among the most challenging of environments- a hands-on children’s museum where the exhibit is hosed-down regularly.

Collaborators and Unique venues Sought for the Next World Class Innovative Bubble Machine Exhibits

I am continuously improving and adding new innovations to my world class soap bubble kinetic sculptures and generative artworks. The support of new clients is essential to sustain this work. If your attraction, museum, science center, school, or research institute is interested in commissioning a temporary or permanent installation of mesmerizing, world class, soap membrane kinetic artwork and the very best bubble machines in the world, I encourage you to reach out to discuss the possibilities with me at gordon dot kirkwood at gmail dot com.